After a 10-7 finish, the Los Angeles Chargers snapped a three-year playoff drought last season. Unfortunately, their postseason loss was so horrific it wiped out whatever positives came from their regular season performance. The Chargers will start the process of putting that 31-30 Wild Card loss—including a blown 27-0 lead—to the Jaguars behind them when training camp kicks off later this month.
Los Angeles Chargers training camp start date
Rookies reporting: July 18
Veterans reporting: July 25
First preseason game: Chargers vs. Rams, August 12
Key position battles to watch
Wide Receiver
Keenan Allen and Mike Williams have been a reliable 1-2 punch for quarterback Justin Herbert when they’re healthy. Unfortunately, they both have had regular injury absences. This year, the Chargers spent a first-round pick on TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Just how much will he push Allen and Williams for targets? We’ll start to get a sense of that in camp. While Allen and Williams aren’t going anywhere, the Chargers desperately need an injection of youth and excitement from Johnston this season.
Kicker
After Dustin Hopkins was forced out of action with an injury early in the season, the Chargers turned to two other kickers to fill the void. Cameron Dicker ended up seeing the most action of the bunch, making 19 of 20 field goals in 10 regular season games. Now, both Hopkins and Dicker will be in training camp competing for the job.
Never overlook the excitement of a kicker competition.
Linebacker
After struggling against the run last season, the Chargers will be looking to see if third-round pick Daiyan Henley can offer the defense some improvement over veteran Kenneth Murray. At Washington State, Henley played well in coverage and against the run, missing just five tackles all of last season.